Synchronizing metadata "Description" from XMP to NKSC

[beatcity]

Hello from Hamburg.
I'm mainly using Adobe Bridge to edit metadata. "Description"-tag seems to be written into the XMP file (when reading "Description"-tag with the ExiftoolGUI content is only shown if *.XMP file is marked. It isn't when *.NEF file is marked.).
Sometimes I additionally use NX Studio software from Nikon (e.g. to find out whether my focus point was set correctly). Nikon software uses *.NKSC sidecars (collected in a different directory, filename _DSC1234.NEF.nksc). As expected the "Description"-field in the Nikon software is empty because the NKSC-file doesn't contain the "Description" information.
Is there a chance to synchronize content of "Description"-tag fields of XMP-files of a whole directory with the corresponding fields of the corresponding NKSC-files (so they are then shown in the metadata section of the Nikon software as well)? And how would the syntax be?
THANKS A LOT IN ADVANCE.
Joerg

[StarGeek]

From the Supported File Types table, it looks like nksc are just xmp files with a different extension.  The fact that they include the base file's extension makes it a bit more complex, but not by much

Try
exiftool -ext nksc -TagsFromFile /path/to/xmp/%-.4f.xmp -Description /path/to/nksc/files/

replace /path/to/xmp/ with the actual path to the xmp files and then the same for the nksc files.

[beatcity]

Hi StarGeek,

thanks for quick response - sorry, didn't work.

My command line and error, 3 nksc-files were not updated (DIR \Training contains *.xmp files, SUBDIR \Training\NKSC_PARAM contains *.NEF.nksc files)

Code Select Expand

exiftool -ext nksc -TagsFromFile "C:\Users\...\Training"%-.4f.xmp -Description "C:\Users\...\Training\NKSC_PARAM"

Warning: No writable tags set from C:\Users\...\Training
Error: File not found - %-.4f.xmp
    1 directories scanned
    0 image files updated
    3 image files unchanged
Where is my mistake?
Thanks again.
Joerg

[StarGeek]

I can't replicate that error message, but one thing that stands out is that you need to put a slash between the file path and the %-.4f.xmp. Otherwise you're looking for a file with the name of TrainingFile.xmp, not a file in the Training directory.

Also, you would have to put quotes around the whole thing, as you can't put a slash directly before a quote because \" will tell the command line that you want to escape the quote.

Otherwise, it works here.  I don't have an nksc file, but I made an XMP file and added nksc as an extension.

Code Select Expand

C:\>tree /f Y:\!temp\aaaa
Folder PATH listing for volume DrivePool
Volume serial number is 3881-4F27
Y:\!TEMP\AAAA
│   aaaa.rar
│   
├───Source
│       file.xmp
│       
└───Target
        file.nef.nksc

C:\>exiftool -G1 -a -s -ext xmp -ext nksc -r -Headline -Description Y:\!temp\aaaa
======== Y:/!temp/aaaa/Source/file.xmp
[XMP-dc]        Description                     : Description
======== Y:/!temp/aaaa/Target/file.nef.nksc
[XMP-photoshop] Headline                        : Headline
    3 directories scanned
    2 image files read

C:\>exiftool -P -overwrite_original -ext nksc -TagsFromFile "Y:\!temp\aaaa\Source\%-.4f.xmp" -Description Y:\!temp\aaaa\Target
    1 directories scanned
    1 image files updated

C:\>exiftool -G1 -a -s -ext xmp -ext nksc -r -Headline -Description Y:\!temp\aaaa
======== Y:/!temp/aaaa/Source/file.xmp
[XMP-dc]        Description                     : Description
======== Y:/!temp/aaaa/Target/file.nef.nksc
[XMP-photoshop] Headline                        : Headline
[XMP-dc]        Description                     : Description
    3 directories scanned
    2 image files read
First the tree command to show the directory contents (ignore the rar, that was to reset after every test).  Then a command to show that nksc only has a Headline and not a Description tag.  Then the command to copy.  Finally, list the new data.

Are you using CMD or Powershell? Also, if you plan on using this in a .bat file, FAQ #27.

[beatcity]

Yess! That's it. Thanks to your corrections it worked. Procedure correctly copied content of Description-tag into nksc-files (and created nksc-original files to save original content).

But: it didn't work for NX Studio app. Still showed the old test content. Deleted the nksc-original file (the one with the saved old test content), but no change, NX Studio still shows the old test content in Description-field.
Then deleted the newly and correctly copied nksc-file as well, and as expected w/o any sidecar file remaining the Description field in NX Studio was empty.

What does that mean? The old test content must exist somewhere else. And yes, found it in tag name Iptc:caption-abstract as well.

So how to synchronize Description-tag from xmp-files into both Description-tag and Iptc:caption-abstract-tag of nksc-files simultaneously? (And how to avoid writing the safety nksc-original files? Don't need them)

Thx for your patience!!

[Phil Harvey]

exiftool -P -overwrite_original -ext nksc -TagsFromFile "Y:\!temp\aaaa\Source\%-.4f.xmp" -Description "-iptc:caption-abstract<description" Y:\!temp\aaaa\Target

- Phil

Edit: Removed duplicate -overwrite_original option

[beatcity]

Hi Phil,
thx for that. Sorry, but doesn't work.

Code (CMD) shows no error:

Code Select Expand

exiftool -P -overwrite_original -ext nksc -TagsFromFile "C:\Users\...\Training\%-.4f.xmp" -Description "-iptc:caption-abstract<description" -overwrite_original C:\Users\...\Training\NKSC_PARAM
but the iptc:caption-abstract tag of the NKSC file remains untouched, i.e. keeps the old entry.
The Description tag was transferred correctly.

Thx for any other idea.
Joerg

[beatcity]

Maybe I've found the problem. But no solution yet.

Added different content into the Description fields of the same image, each in Bridge and Nikon's NX Studio.
Executed the initial code from StarGeek.

Code Select Expand

exiftool -ext nksc -TagsFromFile /path/to/xmp/%-.4f.xmp -Description /path/to/nksc/files/
Then showed tags content of the new NKSC file with ExiftoolGUI.

Result, as you can see in the snip: the NKSC file kept BOTH DIFFERENT TAG CONTENTS UNDER THE SAME TAG-NAME (description) WITHIN THE SAME METADATA-GROUP (xmp-dc): the one copied from XMP-file and it's "own" one, written in NX Studio.



When opening the image with Bridge and NX, each app shows it's "own" version of this tag's content.

Anybody an idea how to solve that problem? How to create the same Description content after synchronizing procedure?

THANKS!
Joerg 

[StarGeek]

Can you share the NKSC file?  We can't find the problem if we can't look to see what's in the file.

[beatcity]

Please find nksc-file attached.
Thx

[StarGeek]

Phil is going to have to answer this one, as the nksc format is a bit more than just XMP.  If you open the file in a text editor and search on "NX Studio edited content", it doesn't appear at all in this file.  Yet, exiftool will still extract it.  I had thought that the binary blocks in XMP were base64, but even converting "NX Studio edited content" to base64 doesn't find a match.

So NX Studio is reading a Description tag that appears to be embedded/encoded in some way, and Bridge is writing the tag normally.

[beatcity]

Hi StarGeek and Phil,
thanks very much for your support. Haven't thought, that this issue is so complex.
We shouldn't forget that it still is a nice-to-have-issue (entering content in Bridge and having it synchronized to NX Studio). So if it becomes too much an effort for you we may drop the case eventually.
Thx.
Joerg

[Phil Harvey]

Code Select Expand

> exiftool ~/Desktop/_DSC5293.NEF.nksc -G5 -description
[XMP-XMLPackets] Description                    : NX Studio edited content
[XMP]           Description                     : Bridge edited content
The XMLPackets are stored as Base64-encoded XML.  ExifTool can't edit tags in this XML, but you should be able to write this as a block if necessary.

- Phil

[beatcity]

OK, thanks for this clarification.
Thank you all.
Joerg